SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST

By Jeff & Martha Ellis

For those of you looking to add a different piece of equipment to your fire station gym, or if you just need a little project and want to work muscles you haven’t worked before, it’s time to build a slosh pipe. A slosh pipe is nothing more than a 9′ piece of 4″ PVC pipe that’s filled two-thirds of the way with water, which should equal 38–42 lbs., and capped at both ends. Think that’s not enough weight to give you a real workout? Before you dismiss the idea completely, give it a try. Once you work with the pipe, you’ll see how demanding it can be. For those who like working with sandbags, chains and tires, you’ll love the variety a slosh pipe affords you.

The premise of the slosh pipe: The instability of the water moving back and forth through the pipe creates a lot of torque, which forces you to use your core and stabilizer muscles. But you won’t be focusing on strength alone; you’ll also be focusing on balance, flexibility and coordination. Just wait until you’re doing an overhead press, and you’re slightly off balance when the water goes sloshing to one end of the pipe. Or simply try carrying your slosh pipe cradled in front of you for 200 yards. You’ll discover muscles you never knew you had when you awake the next morning wondering, “Where did that ache come from?”

Benefits of the PipePicking Up the Pieces
Let’s talk about building a slosh pipe. For those of you who have in-ground sprinkler systems or have done some plumbing jobs, this will be a simple project. For those of you who’ve never worked with PVC pipe before, this project might take an additional 5 minutes to complete.

The most time-intensive task involved in building a slosh pipe is going to your local hardware store and picking up the parts. Once there, you’ll need to purchase a 9–10′ piece of 4″ PVC pipe. Three-inch pipe won’t give as much weight or torque when the water sloshes around, but it’ll work if you want to start with something a little smaller or if you have small hands. Six-inch PVC is a little too cumbersome to handle and grip.

In addition to the pipe, you’ll also need to purchase two end caps and a can of PVC glue. (If this is totally foreign to you, I’m sure someone working in the store will be happy to help you.)

Tip: Don’t drive your Prius or your Harley to pick up a 9–10′ piece of pipe. The price of diesel is down from last year, so fire up your big F-350.

Pipe Assembly
Once you unload your truck, it’ll only take a few minutes to assemble your slosh pipe. Before you start, make sure both ends of your pipe are clean, smooth and free of burrs. You’ll want a nice, smooth surface for good contact and to prevent leaks. A little sandpaper can take care of any imperfections on the pipe.

The first step: Generously apply glue around one end of the pipe and inside your end cap. (Hopefully you purchased the one-step, quick-drying PVC glue, since most of us firefighters don’t want to wait several hours for glue to dry.)

When adding water to the pipe, you can calculate the exact amount of weight you need through complex volume formulas and measuring the precise amount of water needed, or you can use the firefighter method: Eyeball it.
Fill two-thirds of the pipe with water from a garden hose. Use a bathroom scale to make sure the water and pipe together weigh about 40 lbs. Tip: If you’re going to store your pipe outside and you live somewhere that gets cold—as in below freezing—you may want to add antifreeze to the water.

Remember: Pour in the water before gluing on the second end cap. If you forget to add water before doing this, it’s no big deal, but it makes extra work for you. Cut the PVC pipe close to the end cap, go back to the store, buy another cap, clean the end of the pipe, pour water into the pipe and glue the new cap on. You’ll lose only a few inches off your pipe (and you can ride the Harley back to the store to pick up a new end cap).

Before beginning your workout, measure your slosh pipe, and mark the center with a piece of tape or permanent marker. This will help somewhat when trying to find your balance while working with it, but once the water starts moving, be ready.

Finally, like your kettlebell, you can personalize your pipe with some art, your favorite motivational saying, random stickers or whatever.

This is the simple way to make a slosh pipe. If you want to get creative and vary the weight of the slosh pipe, you can purchase removable end caps so you can increase or decrease the amount of water in the pipe. Note: If you purchase rubber removable end caps, they can damage easily if dropped.

You can also buy fittings that include a removable 4" plug, but this will cost more and require a little more time to make.

Time to Slosh
Once you’ve built your pipe and the glue has dried, it’s time to have some fun. The exercises you can do with a slosh pipe are only limited by your imagination. Start by simply picking up the pipe and walking around with it. You can do this by just carrying it in front of you or on your shoulders as you would for a squat.

As you get a feel for how the weight shifts, you can try some common lifts that you’d normally do with a barbell or dumbbells. You’ll find out in a hurry how good your balance is when you try to do a simple back or a front squat. Just remember to allow yourself plenty of workout space. (No letters to the chief explaining how the window was broken in the weight room, please.)

In addition to squats, lunges and dead lifts are also effective exercises to perform with your pipe. When doing lunges, keep your movements slow and controlled, focusing on even movement, squared shoulders and smooth transitions from the downward movement to the upward. Dead lifts will work your back as well as your grip strength as you try to hold the 4" pipe in an overhand grip.

You can combine lifts as well, such as a dead lift with an overhead press, power cleans and thrusters, etc. The list goes on: chest presses, biceps curls, trunk rotations, crunches and even a variation of the Turkish get-up.
Remember: Use caution when starting to work with a slosh pipe since the torque created by moving water can cause injury. Start off slow, maintain good posture, be aware of your balance and have fun sloshing.

Division Chief Martha Ellis has been a firefighter with the Salt Lake City Fire Department (SLCFD) for more than 14 years, serving as a firefighter, engineer, media technician, ARFF training officer, airport fire marshal and currently the fire marshal for Salt Lake City. She has won the Scott Firefighter Combat Challenge Women’s Division five times, and held the world record for 8 consecutive years. She also works as a certified fitness coordinator for the SLCFD.

Captain Jeff Ellis of the Murray (Utah) Fire Department (MFD) has served for more than 23 years as a firefighter, engineer, hazmat technician and shift training captain. He has been a certified fitness coordinator for the department since 1996. As a competitor in the Scott Firefighter Combat Challenge, he has won two overall world championships, three Over 40 world championships and helped MFD take the team trophy. He has been active in teaching all aspects of firefighting, including swiftwater rescue and fitness and nutrition in the fire service.

E-mail your fitness-related questions or comments to Jeff and Martha at fit2serve@gmail.com.